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Donald E. Addison
1923-1944

Pvt. Donald E. Addison was born in 1923 (possibly 1924), the son of Mr. and Mrs. B. W. Addison, who lived in McDowell, West Virginia. If the “B. W. Addison” listed in Donald’s obituary in the Bluefield (WV) Daily Telegraph on January 25, 1945, is the “Beecher Addison” of McDowell County, West Virginia, as counted in the 1930 Federal Census, then the family lived on Brown’s Creek, near Welch. Donald’s mother’s name was Sue, and, at that time, there were three younger children in the family: Virginia D., Billie R. and Carl V.

Donald was married to Thelma Dillon, also of McDowell, who later moved to Boissevain, Virginia. Little else can be determined about Donald’s early life, but it appears that after attending three years of high school, he entered the mining profession, as his World War II U.S. Army Enlistment Record states his civil occupation to be “semiskilled miners, and mining-machine operators.” Given the community in which he lived, it appears likely that he followed in the footsteps of his father.

Pvt. Addison entered military service by enlisting at Huntington, West Virginia, on June 22, 1943. He received his training at Camp Croft, South Carolina, following which he entered the paratroopers and received his wings at Fort Benning, Georgia. Addison was assigned to the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division and went overseas in January 1944.